While researching D-Day sites across England and France on his Fund for Teachers fellowship, a Chicago teacher discovers a photo of his grandfather hanging in a wartime museum. He now uses his grandfather’s service to guide students’ exploration of World War II and the overarching question, “What makes people brave?”

Last July, with a Fund for Teachers grant, Dan Lundak set out to retrace his grandfather’s D-Day experience. The American History teacher planned to use his research to help eighth graders at Chicago’s Sauganash Elementary School personally connect with World War II. The pilgrimage grew more personal than expected, however, upon discovering his grandfather’s photograph hanging in a wartime museum.